Harold 39;s Fairy Tale

[Mariela Laflam]

Todaywe'll highlight favorites from our book suggestions that include elements from fairy tales and fables. From talking animals to unicorns to beanstalks and actual fairies, there are a lot of books out there that incorporate these themes.

Don't see something you like above? Never fear! We have plenty more wonderful books for you to check out. Click on the links below for a pdf of more book lists. Click on the book cover to request the book in our catalog.

Unable to fall asleep one night, Harold uses his purple crayon to create his very own bedtime fairy tale. With his purple crayon in tow, Harold draws his way into an enchanted garden troubled by a giant witch.

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I had never written fantasy before, but this spark of an idea came to me many, many years ago. I wrote a short story, or a picture book, or a fairytale - I really didn't know what it was - and knew that couldn't be the end of it. As my critique group was only too eager to point out, there were too many questions that remained unanswered, too much background missing, and more character development (not to mention characters!) waiting to come alive.

What to do? Well, I started by reading collections of fairy tales all last summer. You know the Fairy Books of Many Colors in thick tomes by Andrew Lang? The Blue Fairy Book. The Purple Fairy Book. The Yellow Fairy Book. Those collections. I read them all. I wanted to see if there were any elements similar to mine. There weren't. But they were helpful in filling in the gaps and envisioning an entire story and, also, I read a lot of fairy tales previously unknown to me. There were many princes going on journeys. Who knows why? There was lots of magic to help the princes on their journeys. I may have even learned where the magic of three comes from. You know, how in a picture book or a story the protagonist needs three struggles to overcome before they can succeed? Right. There was lot of that going on. A person could probably write a thesis on that. Maybe someone already has.

What next? I signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November of last year and decided to take the challenge. I would write a novel in one month. More specifically, I would turn this snippet of an idea into a novel by the time that last grain of sand passed through the hour glass. Now, I knew I would not need 60,000 words for the story I wanted to write. 30,000 words would do. So, I set my goal to write 1,000 words a day.

In the beginning it was easy. I had my story outline and my fingers flew as words hit the page. Then it got harder. Some days I couldn't write more than 100 words. On those days, I went back and revised, or worked on descriptions of the environment, or moved words around. Or walked. I wrote most days in the library from which I had recently retired, so I visited and caught up with former co-workers when nothing was coming from my brain. I loaded up on hot tea, ate the occasional coffee cake. I had lunch with friends for some brainstorming. I must admit, some of my favorite bits came from that.

And I succeeded. By the first day in December I had created an entire story. Better yet, I liked the story. Now what?

I knew I needed a serious critique. The announcement from Highlights about upcoming workshops in 2015 arrived and there it was: "Writing the Unreal - The Whole Novel Workshop in Fantasy & Speculative Fiction." That was it. That was what would help me get my story to the next level. So, I applied. Then I sent in my writing sample. I waited. And waited. Early in the year I learned that I had been accepted! I sent in my entire manuscript and received comments from my faculty advisor, Anne Ursu, shortly before our workshop.

Early in May, I was on the road, off for The Farm in northeast Pennsylvania, and for the help that was waiting for me. And Anne Ursu was that. Not only had she gone through my entire manuscript and left line-by-line edits for consideration, she had an overall critique that we discussed at length. By the end of the first day, I was rewriting the beginning chapters and focusing in on a main character. The second day, what was my former first chapter was critiqued by the group, my fellow attendees working on their own fantasy stories. Again, I came away with comments to consider.

In the days ahead, as we met with special guests Jordan Brown (Editor, HarperCollins), Tina Wexler (Agent, ICM), and Debbie Kovacs (Director, Walden Pond Press), I took away more ideas. I have to admit, Debbie Kovacs helped me immensely in understanding my story. She asked simple questions. Whose story is it? What's at stake? What if it doesn't happen? What does he learn? As we discussed these questions and hashed out the answers, the problems I couldn't figure out within my plot and the motivations behind my characters became clear. It was an "Aha" moment for me.

Another new discovery for me came during a writing exercise led by Christine Hepperman. We were challenged to write the justification behind a character's actions in that way when you are trying to convince yourself of your decision. I wrote about the predicament my Queen found herself in and in doing so, found out the real reason she did what she did. Another big discovery. It didn't necessary change my story in any way, but now I understood her motivation completely, and it also tied in with what I had discussed with Debbie Kovacs. I was elated.

I left the Workshop after one week feeling rejuvenated. I got what I wanted, a clear direction to take this fantasy to the next level. And it was this: I needed a narrator for the story, which I already had in the lovable and favorite character of everyone, Smoky the Cat, and a main character to follow, who turned out to be Rose, eldest princess.

As I told the group in our final meeting, I will be working on these revisions, but I have other projects I must work on as well, so it may not be immediate. Who knows? Maybe I will be revising this story during the 2015 NaNoWriMo?

Description: A collection of popular middle grades books that have quizzes on Accelerated Reader for levels 4.0- through 4.9. ATOS Book Levels are reported using the ATOS readability formula and represent the difficulty of the text. #kids #teachers

The bestselling Catwings series!Mrs. Jane Tabby can't explain why her four precious kittens were born with wings, but she's grateful that they are able to use their flying skills to soar away from the dangerous city slums where they were born. However, once the kittens escape the big city, they learn that country life can be just as difficult!

Dramatic photographs of spewing and flowing lava will capture the attention of any child. in this fantastic new book, children will be excited to learn what a volcano is and what makes it erupt. Simple explanations describe the different kinds of volcanoes, including cinder, cone-shaped, shield, and composite as well as the different kinds of lava and the land formations they create on land and under the ocean. Other topics include the reason volcanoes often erupt during earthquakes, why giant tsunami waves are sometimes created by underwater earthquakes, and how volcanoes are studied in order to predict and prepare for eruptions. Children will also enjoy making their own volcano out of household materials.

Bad TroubleLately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack. All the gang jive--Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal...The story of twelve-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.Newbery Honor book

Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman is re-created in a black southern storytelling voice in which the storyteller is involved--a voice readers may recognize from his retellings of The Tales of Uncle Remus, among others. He turns Sam's deals with hungry tigers into an exuberant battle of wits, and transforms his pancake dinner into a glorious feast for the whole community.

Wishing to visit their mother, two winged cats leave their new country home to return to the city, where they discover a winged kitten in a building about to be demolished.Book 2 in the Catwings series.

Tra-la-laaa!! The NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling Captain Underpants series is now available in ebook edition, featuring Flip-E-Rama, bonus content, and more!He defeated the diabolical Dr. Diaper . . . He terminated the terrible talking toilets . . . Now he's in for the fight of his life. Can Captain Underpants and his drawers hold up under the pressure from three massive, tentacled space aliens (in disguise) who are on a mission to enslave the whole planet?It's time to probe a little further and find out in this WEDGIER alien adventure of Captain Underpants!

Dive into the world of Harry Hammer, a hammerhead shark with a penchant for (mis)adventure in this fin-tastic start to a chapter book series.Harry Hammer is a hammerhead shark, although he'd rather be a great white shark, or a tiger shark--anything but himself. But when a class trip to a famous shipwreck almost ends in disaster for Harry and his pals, he realizes the importance of being exactly who he is!

Tra-la-laaa!! The NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling Captain Underpants series is now available in ebook edition, featuring Flip-E-Rama, bonus content, and more!Just when they thought they were out, it pulls them back in! Our heroes beat the Bionic Booger Boy, but they forgot about those rascally Robo-Boogers. Join George, Harold, Mr. Krupp, Melvin Sneedly, and Sulu the Bionic Hamster on an adventure that will take them into the deepest regions of outer space and back through time to the mysterious and uncharted world of the day before yesterday! It's a monster-mashin', robo-wranglin', time-travelin', brain-switchin', nose-pickin' good time!

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